Accessory attachment for knitting apparatus



Dec. 21, 1965 w, RQIZENTUL 3,224,228

ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 19, 1965 l NVEN TOR. W01 F fio/zmv TUL United States Patent 3,224,228 ACCESSORY ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING APPARATUS Wolf Roizentul, 200 E. 18th St., Brooklyn, N.Y. Filed Aug. 19, 1963, Ser. No. 303,088 Claims. (Cl. 66-125) The present invention relates to an accessory attachment for knitting apparatus and more particularly to a movable adaptor whereby a cone of yarn of the type utilizing a tubular conical core may be supported on one yarn station in position to supply its yarn to a yarn guide associated with an adjacent yarn station.

Knitting apparatus of various types, including flat and rotary, are provided with a plurality of yarn supply stations, each consisting of pins over which a yarn-wound hollow cone may be mounted and supported; each such pin being provided with an associated yarn guide, generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pin, through which the yarn of the cone supported on the associated pin is fed directly or indirectly to the knitting needles. Such arrangement of yarn cone supporting pin and yarn guide are essential to facilitate unwinding of the yarn from the cone without snagging or undue tension.

Frequently, the number of yarns actually used for knitting a fabric on a knitting machine is less than the number of yarn supply stations provided on the machines, so that one of two adjacent cone supporting pins may be vacant and unused.

The present invention is directed to the provision of an accessory attachment whereby a vacant cone supporting pin may be utilized to support a yarn cone in position to have its axis in alignment with the yarn guide associated with an adjacent cone supporting pin, so that its yarn may be fed to the knitting needles through such adjacent yarn guide. By tying the starting end of the yarn on such adjacent cone to the tail end of the yarn of the cone underlying such adjacent yarn guide, continuous feeding of the yarn from the two cones may be attained without need for interrupting the operation of the knitting apparatus after the yarn on the cone in feeding position is spent to thereby obtain economy in time and labor in the servicing of the knitting apparatus.

The present invention is directed to the provision of an accessory attachment, of the character described, which is of simple, compact and economical construction; which may be quickly and easily mounted on and removed from the knitting apparatus, and which is highly efficient and effective for its purposes.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the accessory attachment for knitting apparatus of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shown by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily understandable, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an accessory attachment or adaptor of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, more or less diagrammatic view, illustrating the use of the adaptor of the present invention on one form of knitting apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating the position of the cones in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a modified form of an adaptor of the present invention.

Referring now in greater detail to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the knitting apparatus is schematically represented by the cone supporting plate or table 10, which, in flat-bed knitting apparatus, may be a straight bar, and a circular bar in cylindrical knitting apparatus.

The plate 10 mounts, in fixed upright position, and in spaced relation to one another a plurality of pins, two of which are shown in the drawings and designated as 12 and 14. Each of the upright pins, such as 12 and 14, is intended and adapted for the mounting thereover of the hollow conical core 16 and 18, respectively, on which are wound yarns 20 and 22, respectively. Each of the pins 12 and 14 is provided with an associated yarn guide, above it, which is in substantial alignment with its longi tudinal axis. Such yarn guides may be of any desired form, such as shown in the drawings, for instance, which consists of openings or eyes 24 and 26, formed in a bar 28, above pins 12 and 14, respectively.

Normally, when both of the pins 12 and 14 support a cone of yarn that is knitted on the machine, each such cone will rest flatly by its base, on the plate 10 and their yarns 20 and 22, will be respectively passed on to the knitting needles through the guide eyes 24 and 26. However, when only one of the two pins, as 12, supports a cone of yarn that is being knitted, the other of the pins, as 14, will remain vacant or support an idle cone. In order to make use of the vacant pin 14, to support the cone 18 in position to have its yarn 22 thread smoothly through the guide eye 24, servicing pin 12, the present invention provides an adaptor which may be removably mounted over the vacant or inactive pin 14 to position a cone on such pin with the longitudinal axis thereof in alignment with the guide eye 24 over pin 12. Such adaptor, generally designated as 30, may consist of a wedge-shaped body, which may be preferably, but not necessarily, formed of wood, and may comprise a base or under surface 32, by which it may be rested on the plate 10, and an upper surface 34, at an acute angle to the surface 32, and preferably intersecting therewith. The body 30 may have an opening 36 formed therethrough extending from its upper surface 34 to its under surface 32; such opening being substantially perpendicular to the under surface 32 and being of a diameter adapted to fit over a pin such as 12 and 14.

-It will be seen that when an adaptor body 30 is slipped over the pin 14, by its opening 36, with its acute edge facing the pin 12, the cone 18 mounted on pin 14 will rest on the surface 34 and will be tilted in the direction of pin 12. When the angle between surfaces 32 and 34 is of the proper degree, depending on the distance between pins 12 and 14, the axis of the cone core 18 will be in alignment with the guide eye 24, associated with pin 12, so that the yarn from cone 18 may be smoothly passed through the guide eye 24. By this arrangement the lead end of the yarn 22 may be connected to the tail end of the yarn 20 of cone 16. The yarn 22 from cone 18 will be fed in continuation with the yarn 20 from cone 16, after the latter is unwound, without any interruption of the operation of the knitting apparatus to replace the spent yarn on the cone 16.

In order to enable the use of the adaptor 30 with any cone supporting pin that may vary in thickness, opening 36 may be of a diameter to fit pins of maximum thickness and openings 38, may be bored from each side wall of the body 30 to the opening 36 into which screws 40 may be set that may be tightened against the pin within the hole 36, to hold the adaptor 30 securely thereon.

In order to enable the use of an adaptor 30 with apparatus in which the pins, such as 12 and 14 are spaced different distances apart, adjustable set screws 42, may be set in the under surface 32 of the adaptor body 30,

which may be adjusted to vary the angle formed by the surface 34 with the surface of the plate 10.

This completes the description of the adapter accessory for knitting apparatus of the present invention and the manner in which it may be utilized. It will be readily apparent that such adaptor is of highly simplified construction, easy and convenient to mount and remove and highly effective for its purposes of economical servicing of knitting apparatus by supplying an increased continuous length of yarn to a knitting position on the knitting apparatus.

It will also be apparent that numerous variations and modifications may be made in the device of the present invention, by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I, therefore, desire the protection of the patent laws for any such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. For knitting apparatus, including yarn supplying means comprising a plate having a plurality of spaced upright pins set thereon, each said pin adapted to support yarn wound on a tubular conical core, and a yarn guide associated with each said pin disposed thereabove in alignment with the longitudinal axis thereof, a removable adaptor for disposing a yarn cone mounted on one of said pins with its longitudinal axis in alignment with the yarn guide associated with an adjacent of said pins, said adaptor comprising a body having top and bottom faces disposed in parallel, convergent planes, said body having an opening formed therethrough extending between said faces and normal to said bottom face, said body mountable by said opening over said one pin with its bottom face resting on said plate, and its top face disposed at an angle to the surface of said plate and directed towards said adjacent pin, said body adapted to support on its top face a yarn cone mounted over said one pin and dispose said yarn cone with its longitudinal axis in alignment with said yarn guide of said adjacent pin.

2. The adaptor for knitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein means are provided on said body for securing it against a pin, over which it is mounted.

3. The adaptor for knitting apparatus of claim 2, wherein such securing means comprises at least one threaded opening formed in said body, extending from said opening to the exterior of the body in substantially parallel relation to said bottom face thereof and a threaded member adjustably held in said opening.

4. The adaptor for knitting apparatus of claim 1, wherein means are provided for adjusting the angle of said top face of said body to the surface of said plate.

5. The adaptor for knitting apparatus of claim 4, wherein said means for adjusting the angle of said top face to the surface of said plate comprises screws adjustably set into said body extending to the under face thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,884,943 10/1932 Williams et al. 242147 X 2,571,523 10/1951 Bennett 242-131 3,018,645 1/1962 Fried 242131 X DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner.

RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiner. 

1. FOR KNITTING APPARATUS, INCLUDING YARN SUPPLYING MEANS COMPRISING A PLATE HAVING A PLURALITY OF SPACED UPRIGHT PINS SET THEREON, EACH SAID PIN ADAPTED TO SUPPORT YARN WOUND ON A TUBULAR CONICAL CORE, AND A YARN GUIDE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH SAID PIN DISPOSED THEREABOVE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, A REMOVABLE ADAPTOR FOR DISPOSING A YARN CONE MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID PINS WITH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE YARN GUIDE ASSOCIATED WITH AN ADJACENT OF SAID PINS, SAID ADAPTOR COMPRISING A BODY HAVING TOP SAID BOTTOM FACES DISPOSED IN PARALLEL, CONVERGENT PLANES, SAID BODY HAVING AN OPENING FORMED THERETHROUGH EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID FACES AND NORMAL TO SAID BOTTOM FACE, SAID BODY MOUNTABLE BY SAID OPENING OVER SAID ONE PIN WITH ITS BOTTOM FACE RESTING ON SAID PLATE, AND ITS TOP FACE DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO THE SURFACE OF SAID PLATE AND DIRECTED TOWARDS SAID ADJACENT PIN, SAID BODY ADAPTED TO SUPPORT ON ITS FACE A YARN CONE MOUNTED OVER SAID ONE PIN AND DISPOSE SAID YARN CONE WITH ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID YARN GUIDE SAID ADJACENT PIN. 